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Not Strictly Confidential - 29/6/07

That Simon O'Brien tape in full, the heritage market, the smoking ban and the end of Tony Parrish

Published on July 2nd 2007.

Tourettes at dawnOf all the actors from the original lineup of Brookside, when it was good, it was probably that lippy little scally Simon O'Brien who scored the earliest promise away from the Close. He was a prodigy of Janet Street Porter's, presenting travel shows on “yoof TV” and appeared in one of the first ever reality shows about celebs trapped on a desert island.

This week, as we all know, O'Brien, former owner of The Hub cycle store and cafe in Berry Street, was forced to get on his figurative bike and resign from his first full-time job co-hosting BBC's Morning Merseyside.

The reason. A tourettes-style, unedited outburst in a broadcast trailer for a debate on the regeneration of Edge Lane, where he appeared to urge giggling co-presenter Roger Phillips to “F**k the government and “F**K the planners”. You can hear the tape here (courtesy of our friends at how-do.co.uk). Click here and enjoy visualising the thumb twiddling and the ashen faces of the presenters just after.

While the snoozing masses of Merseyside, were no doubt jolted, as one, from their 6.30am slumber by O'Brien's call to action, the good people of Edge Lane may have welcomed this unexpected rallying cry from the wireless as they mulled, over their cornflakes, how to buy a new home with the £66k each proposed settlements for the demolition of their old ones.

O'Brien, 42, apparently soon to be a father and enjoying a lie-in while he can, might still be lippy. But he'd have made his old Brookie dad, Bobby Grant, a proud old feather spitter with this.

Shock dockIs is on, is it off? The Stanley Dock so-called Heritage Market may or may not be happening this weekend. Latest bets say it's on, but after a week of talk from trading standards officers fed up with the amount of counterfeit and dodgy booty changing hands for a fiver there, it's anyone's guess.

We always enjoy the line that the market's owners spin out about the Tobacco Warehouse market being the Camden of the North.

Like the Louis Vuitton bags, Adidas trainers and DVDs on sale there, if only this were true.

Smoking gunSmoking is off as from Sunday, and to show their disdain, those local wags of the Peter Kavanagh's parish, Bernie Carroll and Leon Kay, (the Larry David and Richard Lewis of the pub poster world) have got together to present a Prohibition poster which they hope will sit in every pub on Merseyside, next to the notices about how you can't light up any more.

Mr Carroll, a 60-a-day smoker, was meant to be staging an open air vigil in Sefton Park as a protest this weekend, but instead spoke to us from a cross-channel ferry, where, presumably, he was stocking up on cartons of Gallahers finest.

Essentially, the poster is a very long piece of writing that points the finger of blame for the smoking ban on a great many people who may be surprised to find themselves listed in there: The local newspapers, local councillors, even the Musicians Union.

Meanwhile, back in L8, Mr Kay, a fervent e-Bayer who was about to put a used copy of Bernard Manning's autobiography up for auction when we called around - "I bought it for 17p" - says you can buy a copy of the poster on there too. (£4.95. See L.bkay under "Community".)

He is also prepared to offer Confidential readers a special discount of £1.

“That won't even buy me a packet of Rizlas,” he spluttered, as we left in a fog of smoke.

Parrish newsAnd so farewell then, Tony Parrish. News reaches us this week that the popular Liverpool Subculture, City of the Dead and Gossip blogs are no more. So that might make one or two of those people in high city office, who found themselves unwittingly starring in its pages, feel fewer of those buttock-clenching moments whenever they switch their computers on.

Mr Parrish tells Confidential, by alias email, that the experience of running the often scurrilous and controversial blogs, authored anonymously, "made me care even more about the city because I have seen the best from people. It has also been pretty amazing to have witnessed such a fantastic spirit from complete strangers in the blogosphere”.

So just be glad, then, city peeps, that you got on the right side of Mr Parrish. For those of you who missed the blogs, be assured that the wrong side probably hasn't been the best place to be over the last couple of years.

And, no, we're not going guess who he really might be, either.

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How dare the Liverpool City Council waste our money telling it is “Smokefree”! (I think they mean ‘smoke-free’, but what *can* you get in Liverpool for £42,000pa these days?) The smoking ban is a law made in Westminster, the Council clots can take no credit. In any case it is untrue. The people in the streets are still choking on huge volumes of highly carcinogenic fumes from the traffic which is far more dangerous to life than the all-too-brief whiff of a gentleman’s cigar.

a lot of things ending this week from Simon OBrien to those websites you mention and even smoking. Will we manage without our cheap trainers though? I don't think so. That would really piss people off.

For 'tis a sad day for this green and septic isle,the smoking ban has taken it's toll and has been passed by the parliament of this land. Sir Walter Raleigh will be turning in his grave and the po faced, stuck up, right on, anti passive smokers,Guardian readers, left wing, lilly livered liberals have won the fight against the 25% of the population who have contributed more monies to the hospitals, pubs ,clubs in taxation and going out on force than the people who stay in and knit and watch the sad TV.Woe is us smokers who no longer can enjoy a drink, a meal, a cup of java without freezing our nuts off come this winter time, who are forced to sit outside with a lukewarm coffee under a heat lamp whilst the wind bloweth up our proverbial jacksy. I have only this to say to the passive smoker: you have all been getting free nicotine for nigh on 500 years. It's your turn to pay now as 25% of us won't go anywhere where you can't have a cigarette, when your restaurant, pub club,wine bar closes down due to lack of business .Yours in a smoke free zone 'cept my house: Leon B.Kay Ps: The ARP warden is at my door shouting "OY, PUT THAT OUT!!!!"

How the coucil works part 94.We have just returned from Il Forno in Duke Street ,imagine a square for al fresco dining ,3 parts of this square have seating areas for eating only 2 parts of this square are for smoking because the council says there is more air circulating on 2 corners of the square OUTSIDE do us a favour WHAT A LOAD OF S**T!!!!!! The restraunt management aint happy so he said evrybody should write to the council moaning about this ludicrous situation.Meanwhile the paedoes are having a field day smoking or non smoking .

When you hear this filth its no wonder the hole country thinks scousers are ingorant toilet mouths. This tosser has thrown away a chance to undermine the BBC illuminati and destroy them from within.He will end up like Michael Barrymore.

Overheard in Allerton Road L18 Flo and Doreen talking and a'walking "can you smell smoke " "Yes"says Doreen as they pass Yates in a smoke filled fag ended pavement with the cars belching out fumes and gosoline .The sons and daughters of Satan at the town hall have given the non smoker passive smoking outside on the street in broad daylight hurrah for freedom for the right to smoke .All together now "In the summer time when the smoking is fine ,you can cough right up and spit in the street cough cough cough"